In simpler, less flavorful and more personally damaging times, tequila was a simple drink. Salt, shot, lime and shudder—end of story, and sometimes the end of the night, too.
Fortunately, while bar life still presents ample occasions for the tequila shot, Mexico’s national spirit now affords many more opportunities for enjoyment, from well-known cocktails to late evening sippers, almost all of which may be found somewhere within the 10 stages of tequila understanding.
1. A shot glass full of clear mixto tequila, meaning a spirit concocted from at least 51 percent agave as well as other fermentable materials. Knock it back and return to your beer.
2. The discovery of the margarita, usually made with that same mixto tequila, a bit of triple sec and plenty of lime bar mix, all poured over ice in a blender and processed to a fine frappe.
3. Enter the possibilities proffered by premium tequilas made from 100-percent blue agave, a long-maturing member of the lily, not cactus, family, and the corresponding realization that tequila can have more flavor and complexity than previously imagined.
4. The substitution of 100-percent agave tequila and fresh lime juice for the mixto and bar mix brings with it a whole new kind of margarita experience that is shaken rather than blended.
5. Reposado tequilas that have been aged in wood for up to a year bring with them mild vanilla and spice tastes not seen in silver or blanco tequilas.
6. Añejo tequilas, aged for between one and three years in wood, expand the flavor profile even further, bringing with them notes of sometimes formidable spice, fruit, smoke or caramel.
7. Four main categories of tequila, plus a mixto variant called abocado, to which color and/or flavorings are added, open up all manner of possibilities, from cocktails well beyond the margarita to on-the-rocks enjoyment or brandy snifter digestif.
8. The palate expands yet again, this time with the super-premium extra añejo, a minimum three-years-old distinction for tequilas aged in wood for longer than regular añejos.
9. In what some purists consider a step backwards, an emerging wave of tequilas flavored with everything from peppers to citrus to almonds expands the tequila palate even further.
10. Luxury comes to the tequila world with the introduction of ultrahigh-end, single-barrel, single-village, limited-production brands. Proving yet again how far tequila has come from the days of the shot and shudder, even if there are those who still prefer it the “old school” way.